A few years ago, I found myself having a hard time progressing in my walk with Jesus. I felt stuck, so I had the following conversation with the Lord:
Me: Lord, give me discipline!
Him: Katelyn, give me your love.
Me: Lord, show me how to love you.
Him: Katelyn, watch the way I love you.
Throughout most of my life, I would have told you that I believe that His love for me is unconditional, but my actions rarely reflected that belief. I was performance-driven in my walk with Him. I behaved as though the more I did for Him, the more He would love me; the less I did for Him, the less He loved me. The result was that I lived my life feeling frustrated, inadequate, and consumed with failure.
The truth is quite the opposite. My actions (good or bad) have nothing to do with the amount of love He has for me. When we begin to realize that His love has everything to do with His character and who He is, we begin to understand that His deepest desire is a relationship with us. When we begin to understand His love for us, we stop being consumed with our short comings. When we focus on who He is as our Father, we are no longer held captive by chains of religion or impossible standards. His love brings freedom!
Jonathon David Hessler writes the following lyrics:
“I heard about a sea where sin sinks like stones. There’s no floor there, just mercy down below. . . I heard about a man with holes in His hands; He can hide mountains of sin in them. His smile destroys my religion; His love shakes down my prison.”
Maybe you feel that your sins define you, and Jesus can’t (or won’t) love you because of mistakes you’ve made. Whether you feel as though your works define you or your sins define you, you’re believing a lie. The truth is that the Lord sees you right where you are, and He loves you. There is NOTHING that will separate you from His love. Your job is to respond to it.
(Katelyn is our Administrative Assistant and she co-pastors our Young Adults Group with her husband)